


the boy with the pretty rings

by rantarous



Series: Amamatsu Oneshots [1]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Blood, Execution, F/M, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 19:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10623225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rantarous/pseuds/rantarous
Summary: The sound of liquid hit the ground — pitter pitter patter it says — the floor now painted like a widespread canvas with a vibrant shade of pink patches.





	

i.myserious poem  
  
  
  
  
Kaede glares at the paper on the table, filled with nothing but instructions she didn't quite grasp. The sound of her teacher's explanation leisurely fades into the background and Kaede's attention continuously drifts between the paper and the boy who sits to her front in spirit of enquiry.  
  
  
  
  
_The boy with the pretty rings,_ Kaede silently calls him. Amami doesn't interact with many classmates and disappears as soon as the classes are dismissed, vanishing before she even gets to pack her things in her bag. There's times she luckily catches him walking down the hall by himself and talks to him.  
  
  
  
  
"Akamatsu-san, are you even listening?" Amami waves his hand around to grab her attention. Kaede blinks in confusion and repositions herself on the chair.  
  
  
  
  
Kaede smiles; a soft smile. "Did you need something Amami-kun?"  
  
  
  
  
He turns his whole body around to have a better view of the person he's addressing to, his arms propping on the cresting rail and chest leaning on the splat. "The subtitute teacher asked us to work on a poem with the person behind. It's something to do with murdering someone for the sake of their loved ones."  
  
  
  
  
"Huh? Sake of their loved ones?" Kaede's tongue lingers on the last words for a moment too long, her eyebrows knotting.  
  
  
  
  
Flickering her eyelashes, her attention darts back towards the requester. The blonde woman leans her back against the blackboard of the classroom, remaining rooted on the place. Kaede is blessed enough with the innate ability to perceive people's motives and this woman gives off an aura filled with nothing but despair; darkness and misery.  
  
  
  
  
In that moment, their eyes lock for a brief moment. A moment too short.  
  
  
  
  
Or maybe, just maybe Kaede is too irrationally anxious.  
  
  
  
  
ii. under the blankets  
  
  
  
  
Her illuminated hand by the moonbeam rises towards the night sky beside her dear companion, them resting under the blanket of starlight. Her back is pressed against the green vegetation, the late night's gentle zephyr almost threatening to lull her into a pacific sleep — something Kaede lacked ever since being thrown into this abnormal mutual killing game.  
  
  
  
  
Amami emulates her movements, rising his hand towards the sky, under the thousands of luminous stars furnishing the quiet darkness in the dead of the night.  
  
  
  
"Don't you think those stars are quite lucky?" Amami speaks in an undertone, his open palm turning into fist before it goes back to normal. "I think they're. Do they ever worry? Do they ever have to think over something?" He mulls over his words for a second before releasing a dejected sigh.  
  
  
  
  
"You know, the one thing I really think about is what kind person _I_ — we were before losing our memories."  
  
  
  
  
The pianist turns her crown towards the ever so silent Amami, her eyes catching on his expression shifting between a mixture of sorrow and nostalgia. His jaw clenches, his hands shake.  
  
  
  
  
"What kind of people we used to be, huh?" He chuckles— a spiritless chuckle Kaede notes. "I wonder too."  
  
  
  
  
A moment of silence between the pair was shared before Amami turns to his side, facing a flustered Kaede surprised with his sudden motion. He grabs her hand and places it against his own, lifting it up above their heads.  
  
  
  
  
His eyes overflows with amusement once more, his depressing look dissipating into thin air and flying away alongside the gust of wind. He interlaces their digits together — precipitating a squeal from Kaede and laughs at her reaction.  
  
  
  
  
"You don't like it?" He teases, vaguely attempting to untangle his fingers from hers.  
  
  
  
  
"Don't! I like it, your hand is big and warm." Kaede whimpers,  tightening the grip. "It gives me a sense of safety."  
  
  
  
  
Amami hums and pulls her anatomy, pressing her flush against his own. "It's starting to get really late, shouldn't you get some rest before the sun rises again?"  
  
  
  
  
"You should too. Tomorrow will be a long day. Who knows what kind nonsense Monokuma will make us do this time?" Kaede mumbles under her breath, allowing her head to go limp on his chest. Half of the reason may be because she's enervated and the other half because, well, she wants to get closer to him.  
  
  
  
  
His body tenses for a second before he allows his muscles to relax again. Her body vibrating due to his chuckle. "You shouldn't worry too much about me. Go to sleep Akamatsu-san." His unoccupied fingers travel down the waves of her golden hair.  
  
  
  
  
His melodic hums, the constant motion of his delicate fingers going back and forth between her hair, the everlasting sound of his heartbeat against her chest, Kaede finally succumbs into the temptation of falling into a soothing sleep under the blankets of the stars.  
  
  
  
  
"The time is slowly nearing..." Those are the last words she hears before falling into a pit of complete blackness.  
  
  
  
  
iii. one more time  
  
  
  
  
The early morning comes around sooner than expected and the dining hall's starting to fill up with the remaining survivors, apprehensive about the kind of new motive that'd be placed on their plates this time. Kaede's perched on the window sill, observing the gleaming sun sporadically peeking out from among the silvery clouds. Permitting her many thoughts to sink inside her head.  
  
  
  
  
"Akamatsu," Amami calls out, lifting a hand in a form of greeting and Kaede reciprocates the gesture with a small smile.  
  
  
  
  
"Did you get sleep last night?" Kaede asks, voice laced with worry. "When I woke up, you were still awake."  
  
  
  
  
"I did, for a bit at least. It was more than enough so don't worry about it." He laughs, waving a hand to dismiss the conversation. "How about you? Aren't you going to eat? Monokuma is on his way."  
  
  
  
  
Kaede doesn't answer right away, instead tilting her cranium to the side to peer at Amami's visage. He seems different than he does. He looks restless, agitated. In attempts to comfort him from his fidgety state of mind, her slender fingers ruffle his fluffy locks with a giggle.  
  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?" He scolds, turning his head to swat her hand away gently. But the sight of her genuine smile manages to transform his mood entirely. He stares at her with a cheeky smile and seizes her hand, tearing them away from his haphazard green hair and locks his fingers with hers instead.  
  
  
  
  
"Much better."  
  
  
  
  
"N-Now, what do you think you're doing?" Kaede chastises back, her tone is shaky and her countenance takes a cardinal shade as her eyes dart between their glued hands and his satisfied face. She doesn't dislike it actually, she loves it — wholeheartedly.  
  
  
  
  
"Just give me a moment."  
  
  
  
  
Amami leans forward, closing in proximity as he inches closer to her. His hand caresses her cheek and he plants a soft kiss on it, an accidental smile slipping past due to the contact.  
  
  
  
  
"I just wanted to do this one more time."  
  
  
  
  
Kaede confused—and also ignoring her beating heart—asks "one more time?"  
  
  
  
  
He nods, wrapping his arms around her waist to sate his needs and rests his chin atop her head. "Mmm. You— I mean we never know who's going to be the next victim, right?"  
  
  
  
  
Kaede feels uneasy with Amami's last words, it's almost identical to the one she has felt somewhere in the near past but is incapable of wrapping it around her finger.  The feeling is dark and it appears like a calamitous storm is in wait, hoping to sweep them off their feet.  
  
  
  
  
_A teacher_  
  
  
  
  
Huh?  
  
  
  
  
"What's wrong Akamatsu-san?" Amami mumbles, his grip tightening around her.  
  
  
  
  
"It's nothing." Kaede pauses, wrapping her fragile arms around his back. "I think... it's nothing."  
  
  
  
  
iii. drip drip drip  
  
  
  
  
"Akamatsu-san, can you please go to the left side of the building and search for the pieces Monokuma dropped for us to find? Me and Maki will split up in the opposite side of the building at the far end." Kirumi requests, eyes trained on the two dark eerie corridors. "I'm quite certain I've spotted Amami-san go that way after I asked for his help earlier."  
  
  
  
  
Kaede agrees and they part ways, reminding one another to remain vigilant during the search.  
  
  
  
  
The cracking sound emanating after pressing her foot on the loose floorboards causes a ghostly chill to trace down her back, her breath hitching in her throat in the uttermost trepidation. Her arms hug her sides as she continues to walk down the gloomy passageway, her eyes periodically scanning the ominous, darkly coloured walls with spider webs.  
  
  
  
  
After finally reaching a dead end, she notices an uncanny doorframe sitting to her right, the door marginally open and tempting her to step her foot inside it.  
  
  
  
  
And that's what she does.  
  
  
  
  
Kaede is greeted by the sound of liquid hitting the ground — pitter pitter patter it says — the floor now painted like a widespread canvas with a vibrant shade of pink patches.  
  
  
  
  
Blood is smeared on the floor and a knife is clenched in one hand. A hand too familiar to be mistaken for someone else's. His other hand shakingly clenches on the limp body, pink liquid overflooding from the stabbed neck, the floor turning into a pool of blood.  
  
  
  
  
Everything happens painfully slowly, as if in slow motion. He turns his head, his eyes lavender, face obscured with ominous darkness but that changes almost immediately when his eyes roll on Kaede.  
  
  
  
  
It can't be?  
  
  
  
  
"A-Akamatsu-san?"  
  
  
  
  
"Amami-kun..."  
  
  
  
  
Kaede's eyes dilate, her desperate attempts to deny the situation unfolding in front of her shattering into pieces and evaporating. Her fingers then point to Korekiyo, Kaede looking much more fragile and smaller than she normally does.  
  
  
  
  
"You're being careless, that's not like you Amami-kun. You shouldn't pick him up and get yourself all bloody, you know?" Kaede trembles, her eyes avoiding to lock with his. But, she still forces herself to move closer and clasps her hand on his arm, shaking it persistently.  
  
  
  
  
"Come on, put him down Amami-kun. We will investigate together after w—"  
  
  
  
  
"No. It's fine."  
  
  
  
  
"I understand." And then she let go of his arm, despite the thousands of voices in her head begging, pleading her not to. Kaede feels defeated and devastated, stumbling backwards with unknown tears trickling down her cheeks and slamming into the already soaked floorboards.  
  
  
  
  
"Look at me." Amami asks, his voice gentle. He steps forward, his stained hand extends towards her but Kaede flinches, striding back with her jiggly legs which are on the verge of not supporting her feeble body anymore.  
  
  
  
  
"There is a reason for this."  
  
  
  
  
Kaede shakes her head, her hands pressing down on her ears to block out the words he so wants to utter. Her eyes accidentally land on him, his lips are moving, trembling even. They travel from his lips to his cheeks, hair, nose and ears, all stained with one of her friend's blood. Looking at him feels gruesome — that is, until their eyes connect.  
  
  
  
  
Behind them hides an abundant amount of regrets and yet there is a small part of it revealing a different story.  
  
  
  
  
_Relief?_  
  
  
  
  
Amami takes advantage of her bewilderment, taking a couple of strides ahead and takes hold of her hand, forcing a smile.  
  
  
  
  
"I never had this in plan — I  mean, having you finding me but there's no turning back now."  
  
  
  
  
"I killed Korekiyo because he was initially intending to kill you Akamatsu-san, or at least he made it seem like he was going to." He sighs, picking up the knife he dropped on the floor after Kaede walked in on him. "I was his roommate and fortunately, he wasn't too discreet about it. He was planning to kill you today in the afternoon so I had to do something about it before he reached and harmed you."  
  
  
  
  
Another wave of shook engulfs her in the span of five minutes, her hand covering her mouth to prevent letting out a sob of agony. Amami quickly stands by her side, his smeared hand gliding up and down her side. At this point she doesn't care anymore.  
  
  
  
  
"I get it now." He mumbles under his breath after a painfully long silence, looking up at the dusty ceiling covering their heads. "At that time, it didn't make sense to me but murdering someone for the sake of their loved ones, huh? Who would've thought I'd find myself doing this."  
  
  
  
  
"Sake and loved..." Kaede pauses, it rings a bell but what is it?  
  
  
  
  
"Kaede, can I ask for a favour?" He interrupts her thoughts, dropping the knife in her hand. "I know this is a little too much but please stab Korekiyo one more time."  
  
  
  
  
"Rantarou, are you insane?"  
  
  
  
  
"If you stab him, both of us are behind this. I'll make sure they don't suspect us." He tries to sound solemn, that much she could tell. However, his voice cracks at the end. It sounds like he is pleading her to commit the sin with him, or maybe it' something else.  
  
  
  
  
"I don't want to die yet, especially not knowing if you'll make it through the killing game. I also want to spend more time with you. The time we spent together was a little too short, right?"  
  
  
  
  
Amami returns his gaze down at Kaede hesitantly in fear he'd scare her, trailing behind with a very, very sad smile but she isn't moving, her thought-process too joggled.  
  
  
  
  
_I want us to be together._  
  
  
  
  
Her heart screams but her lips don't say.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry I can't do it."  
  
  
  
  
Amami laughs, not entirely disappointed with her answer but there is pinch of it wavering somewhere in his voice. "I was planning to die in the beginning and be voted as the blackened but after seeing your mortified face, I had a change of heart for a second." He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, displaying a suave smile. "It's best if you leave now and pass me your jacket, I'll get rid of it so you don't get suspected."  
  
  
  
  
A trickle of tears forms and sits at the corners of his eyes, wiping them away quickly with the back of his hand, for he doesn't want Kaede to change her mind. He walks away from her, gripping onto her blood stained jacket. Their distance increases and increases with each step he takes, so does the comforting warmth she felt.  
  
  
  
  
Her heart begins to ache as she watches the boy she loves sacrifices his life for her sake, torn apart into thousands of tiny pieces. It doesn't feel right, it doesn't sit well with her.  
  
  
  
  
Her chest clenches, heavy breaths forcing themselves to work through her lungs, sweat tickling down her unexposed forehead and sticking to her bangs like glue. Her eyes nervously land on the pink knife he left on the nightstand. Kaede is more than nervous, but a glimmer of determination sets itself in her purple irises.  
  
  
  
  
"Akamatsu-san, I said you should leave before anyone finds you out."  
  
  
  
  
Amami turns to look at her in the midst of stuffing the jacket in his bag, his eyes widening at the sight of Kaede hovering over Korekiyo. "Don't tell me you're going to—" He cuts himself off.  
  
  
  
  
"You said we would get out of here, didn't you?" Kaede pauses, using all her strength to hold onto the knife. Her hands are shaking badly, despite putting on a serious false display and for a second, it almost escapes from her grip.  
  
  
  
  
Amami sighs, standing up on his feet and settles the bag on the table."But," he presses.  
  
  
  
  
He knows.  
  
  
  
  
"But, I don't want the rest to get executed either and only have the two of us escape. W—We already lost many people, we can't ju—"  
  
  
  
  
"So put the knife away."  
  
  
  
  
"I can't, I don't want to lose you either Amami-kun"  
  
  
  
  
_I don't want to lose you the most._  
  
  
  
  
Her mind shouts, but her voice doesn't dare utter.  
  
  
  
  
And there and then, her strong and impassive facade reaches its limit and crumbles and shatters, lightly fading away like a feather. The tears she fought so hard to hold back spring up, her lips quivering in sadness, regret and loneliness mixed together. But, she doesn't put the knife away and turns her attention back to Korekiyo.  
  
  
  
  
"Kaede, stop!"  
  
  
  
  
Amami reaches her side in a split second exactly, one arm tightly wrapped around her waist — but not as hard to cause her any kind of  pain — and the other holds the hand that's stopped in mid-air, on its way to Korekiyo.  
  
  
  
  
Amami still tries to create some sort of distance between the two, his shirt with dots of pink. "I beg you Akamatsu-san, stop doing such reckless things. Do as I said, go and join the others."  
  
  
  
  
He pleads, desperation clearly evident by the shaky tone. He lets go of her after a couple of minutes after she finally issues a nod of approval, discarding the voices chastising her for being a fool.  
  
  
  
  
"Thank you Kaede." He genuinely smiles, his eyes filled with love and affection and his cheeks tinted with a carmine colour, all of it tempting her to do one last thing before she walks out of the room.  
  
  
  
  
However, Amami beats her to it, reading her thoughts like an open book and gives her a soft kiss without touching her too much, afraid of covering her with blood. The kiss makes her crave for his touch, it gives her the desire to run her fingers through his hair or make her hands run past his neck.  
  
  
  
  
But they both know they can't.  
  
  
  
He breaks the kiss, smiling gingerly at her.  
  
  
  
  
"Be careful on your way."  
  
  
  
  
"Right, but I was told to come down this passageway."  
  
  
  
  
"Go back and start your search in the first door until you reach this room. By then, I won't be here and you'll signal you found someone." He answers, lifting his hand before he allows it to drop back down to his side after he notices his hands were bloody again, after picking up the knife once more, silently cursing himself for the mistake.  
  
  
  
  
"Ah— And I really wanted to caress your cheek before you left."  
  
  
  
  
Her face becomes beet-red before she recomposes herself. "It's fine if you do it."  
  
  
  
  
"It's okay, I would rather not risk anything." He sighs, hoisting the bag over his shoulder.  
  
  
  
  
"Well then, I really need to get going. Goodbye Amami-kun."  
  
  
  
  
"Mmm. Be careful."  
  
  
  
  
iv. memories  
  
  
  
It's all too well known, the feeling where Kaede feels nothing but despondence, but this time, hitting her with force ten times harder. Her attention never wavers from Amami as he gets pushed to the execution room — to his own death.  
  
  
  
  
They had managed to steal several glances during the trial, him cheekily grinning at her and her attempting to suppress her face from heating up but miserably failing, reaching the tips of her ears. Amami remained impassive when addressed to, answering all questions according to plan and tried his best to conceal his relieved expression once it was over.  
  
  
  
  
He continues to get pushed by a very enthusiastic Monokuma, erupting into evil laughter and unable to wait to get started with the execution.  
  
  
  
  
Amami looks at the impatient bear in annoyance before he looks at Kaede, giving her one last smile — sneakily adding a wink to it— before mouthing out the one word that clashes everything together, fusing the bits and pieces of old, erased memories together again.  
  
  
  
  
_A Poem_  
  
  
  
  
_The boy with the pretty rings_  
  
  
  
  
Realisation hits her, the memories flooding back into her mind like rushing water. Kaede reminisces about the days they spent together in school after they finished the poem, asking him a large amount of questions and him laughing in return, requesting her to ask one at the time.  
  
  
  
  
She remembers how he started staying behind in school to help her with her maths homework, Kaede nearly never understanding which formulas to use on each question.  
  
  
  
Kaede remembers a lot and she doesn't want to let go, not yet — not ever.  
  
  
  
  
"Wait, Amami-kun!"  
  
  
  
  
But it was already too late. He was gone.  
  
  
  
  
And just like that, the boy she loves is taken away from her fingertips. Her hands clenches on the desk and the pain she feels being beyond unbearable.  
  
  
  
  
But at least, at least, she had the chance to see him smile proudly one last time and she was quite certain the heavens would come stumbling down to their feet were they to witness it.  
  
  
  
  
Kaede closes her eyes and remembers the last couple of words he mouthed before leaving her.  
  
  
  
  
_We'll meet again one day, Kaede._  
  
  
  
  
A smile forms on her lips, recollecting all the memories they shared; those being the memories she'll never once let go of until they reunite.  
  
  
  
  
_We definitely will._

**Author's Note:**

> I posted something twice within a week, I'm amazed.
> 
>  
> 
> I dont know if I should call this a bad ending or should I? Hah, in the beginning I wanted the both of them to live and be happy but then, it wasn't possible so I had to settle with this.
> 
>  
> 
> I've two more amamatsu fics in store which I'll upload really soon and stop writing as frequently, considering I've a lot of schoolwork I need to focus on.
> 
>  
> 
> And I would like to thank LiteralistSin for beta reading my work, if it wasn't for her this work would've been a mess. aaaand check out her work, her amamatsu oneshots are absolutely adorable and amazing and i love them so so much?? I read them more than 10 times :) aha so yeah i really recommend them.


End file.
